The sport of backpacking has become increasingly popular. Its popularity has led to development of a wide variety of gear specifically designed to reduce the overall weight of the backpacker's load, which in many cases must be carried over long distances.
It is now typical for a backpacker to use a backpack for carrying gear including a portable tent which is erected upon the ground. Use of ground supported tents requires that the tent either have a waterproof floor or that it be used on a ground cloth to prevent rain or dampness from migrating into the tent and hence into the camper's other gear. Current use of a separate backpack and tent requires that the tent and backpack each incorporate their own independent frame systems to properly support the backpack and tent when in use.
One limitation with typical prior art tents used in backpacking is their inability to be suspended from a tree or other supporting structure. Being able to suspend a tent has several advantages. Firstly, a tent suspended from a tree need not incorporate a waterproof floor since the bottom of the tent is suspended in air, thereby preventing runoff from rainstorms and ground moisture from entering the tent. Suspending a tent from a tree also has the distinct advantage of allowing the camper to position the tent high enough in the tree to prevent or make difficult attack by wild animals such as bears, mountain lions, coyotes and smaller animals which might be inclined to attack either the human or the provisions stored in a tent.
It is an object of this invention to provide a portable tent structure which can be converted into a backpack which can be easily carried on the camper's back and which can carry camping gear in addition to the tent.
It is an object of this invention to provide a combination tent and backpack which can be suspended from trees or other supporting structures and which acts as a stand or cot for supporting persons suspended above the ground in relative comfort.
These and other objectives and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments given herein.